Palm Springs, California, is a vibrant city full of life, culture, colorful cuisine and a vivacious artistic community. Carefully protected by four mountain ranges, this beautiful desert town offers warm climate and sunny skies that yearly beckon Fargo couple Roger and Terri Klocke from brisk North Dakota winters for a little sunny respite. Together, Roger and Terri own and operate Natural Environments, a landscape design and outdoor living company in Fargo that goes beyond beautiful yards. Quality landscape design and installation, outdoor furnishings, fountains, architectural pottery and art help them create sophisticated outdoor living spaces. It is no surprise that their artistic vision and design talents used in landscaping translate easily into the world of indoor art and design. When traveling, the Klockes are always seeking inspiring and unique artwork that speaks to their love of culture and life.

While vacationing in Palm Springs, Terri discovered an art gallery owned by Russian-born artist Elena Bulatova where she found an abstract piece that she loved. She texted Roger a photo of the painting, and he was drawn to it immediately. “We had been looking for an abstract piece for nearly five years. Nothing was quite what we wanted. I saw her painting and knew it was exactly what we had been waiting for,” he said. And with that first procurement, the Klockes became Elena Bulatova art enthusiasts.

Bulatova was born in the small city of Alexandrov, outside of Moscow. Growing up in Russia, there was natural inclusion of the arts in education. Bulatova took classes in ballet, chess, music and Russian dance. She says, “I attended art school for seven years, but my focus was on playing violin. I also wanted to be a politician and to work for the government.” She attended the School of Public Administration at Moscow State University—the most prestigious educational institution in Russia—where she played in the Chamber Orchestra. Bulatova studied in France, learning to speak the language in just a few short months. Following graduation, she expanded upon her already impressive educational resume. She was offered a job within the Ministry of Finance while she completed her dissertation on the Sovereign Wealth Fund. It was not long before Bulatova was offered the Fox Fellowship, a highly coveted and esteemed graduate exchange program, at Yale University, which brought her to the United States. Though she admits she didn’t plan on becoming an artist, the transition from music to art was effortless. She eventually made her way to Palm Springs and has since opened two art galleries, Elena Bulatova Studio & Gallery and Elena Bulatova Fine Art.Bulatova has described some of her work as “mixed media abstract art,” which reflects her. It is vibrant and full of life. Her paintings evoke a sense of energy and calm simultaneously. Her brushstrokes suggest movement and vitality. You will often find streaks of silver and gold metallic paint, adding depth and contrast to her already intricate pieces. Bulatova is not only passionate about her art but those her art speaks to. It’s important to her that people feel a connection to artwork by evoking a sense of happiness and optimism. Bulatova says,

“In many paintings, I use a lot of primary colors. I know what kind of response reds can draw—passion, excitement, power and growth. I think there is part of me in each painting.”

The high-spirited colors and movement of Bulatova’s art reflects her personality and is evident in her mixed media art- large scale work in acrylics and oils, fused with her signature metallics.

Although Bulatova’s art creates energy, it also combines with a sense of calm that creates a beautiful and perfect balance.

The Klockes understand this connection, as Roger describes how he and his wife were first drawn to Bulatova’s art. He laughs as he recalls how the art was delivered to their home. “The doorbell rang. We had been expecting our art, but here was Elena on our front doorstep delivering it to us personally,” he says. “She’s incredibly kind and very easy to talk to.”

Bulatova often paints on a large scale, and she lives her life in a similar fashion. She adds, “For me, the artistic experience is about finding your own parameters. As an artist, it is having as intense and as vivid a life experience as possible and then trying to communicate that to others.”